Chapter 115

"Master Lin, please look, how fine this girl's hair is, black and lustrous."

"Take a look at her figure, she's good for bearing children."

"This girl cooks a mean dish~"

A noisy introduction, but those pushed out were all young women.

Lin Dao raised his brows and shook his head, what did these people take him for.

Not to mention anything else, the two women behind him, though dressed in thorn hairpins and cloth skirts, their looks absolutely outshone everyone present.

Having beauties by his side, and they still recommended girls to him, totally lacking tact.

"You two."

He instructed Chen Yuanyuan and Dong Xiaowan to "go pick people."

"Those with families are best, and ideally with some skill."

"Sewing, washing, cooking, as long as they can work."

Both women showed delight on their faces.

Finally they could return to the days of having servants.

These past few days they had taken care of their own daily lives, truly exhausting.

After they left, Lin Dao stood up, "I also need some male servants."

"Those who have worked as shop assistants or waiters, who can read and write a bit, and understand arithmetic are best."

"By the way, they can't be too old, must have families, and must have connections."

The human trader smiled broadly, "Such people, there really are."

The Jiangnan region had developed commerce and trade; even in a county city there were many shops.

According to the Central Plains tradition of master-apprentice relations, every shop had many so-called apprentices working for free.

When disaster struck and refugees fled, these people were inevitably affected as well.

In the end, Lin Dao selected twelve young men who had once been apprentices.

Although they had worked in different shops, at least they knew some characters and could do simple calculations.

Twelve people, meaning twelve households.

In each family there might be parents, elder brothers and sisters-in-law, younger brothers and sisters, etc.

Prices in the city's slave markets were naturally much higher than those of refugees at the porridge factories outside the city.

Lin Dao paid nearly six hundred taels of silver for these twelve households.

Formalities were completed, taxes paid, and contracts of servitude obtained.

Lin Dao turned around and saw Chen Yuanyuan and Dong Xiaowan bringing over a large group of people, their expressions either panicked or hopeful.

"Are you crazy?"

Lin Dao frowned deeply, "So many people, where can they live?"

The two women each chose ten maidservants, plus their families, that was twenty households.

Though the shop was converted from an inn, it couldn't house so many people.

As soon as these words were spoken, the surroundings immediately stirred.

Men, women, old and young knelt down one after another, begging the master to buy them, to give them a way to live.

Chen Yuanyuan and Dong Xiaowan lowered their heads sheepishly.

"Just like this then."

Lin Dao waved his hand and negotiated the price again.

"I'm already lightening your burden, you must give me a discount, otherwise I won't take them."

Children and the elderly were obviously unwanted.

Lin Dao being willing to take them was indeed a relief for the human traders.

Moreover he was a major customer; after some haggling, the price was finally set at one thousand taels.

Jinling City was not short of labor.

Especially wealthy households had many home-born slaves and were not short of male servants.

The value of young girls was much higher than that of young men.

Lin Dao didn't care about spending silver; in the Modern World, the Industrial Cthulhu produced silver by the ten thousand tons every year.

Buying a few hundred jin or even several tons was negligible.

This silver brought to the Chongzhen Spacetime would simply be the existence of a godly rich man.

Moreover, once Jinling City was taken, this slave market would surely be swept away and eradicated.

The silver spent before could all be recovered.

"I thought it would cost a lot."

On the way back to the shop, Lin Dao said somewhat emotionally, "This is still Jinling City."

"What would the refugee gathering places outside the city be like?"

"Further north, what a hellish scene it would be."

The Great Ming, drained of blood by the Imperial Clan and Meritorious Nobles, officials and gentry, should have perished long ago!

Back at the inn, he saw the steward of Qian Qianyi's residence.

"This humble one is Qian An, I greet Master Lin."

Steward Qian led forward an old man of about fifty, "This is my master's steward, named Tian Wen."

"He was an apprentice at Yi Zhai from childhood, and rose all the way to shopkeeper."

"In appraising rare treasures, he has exceptional skill."

"A couple of years ago the proprietor of Yi Zhai got into trouble, the shop was seized, and he's been staying at home ever since."

In this era, shops are usually century-old establishments.

The people employed in the shop are also all their own people, cultivated within the shop itself.

Someone like Tian Wen certainly couldn't go work as a clerk at another shop.

But if he wanted to be a shopkeeper, another family's shopkeeper would hardly give him the opportunity.

Tian Wen has been unemployed at home these two years, living entirely on savings, and his days have already become gradually insufficient to make ends meet.

After all, one shi of rice costs several taels of silver; he urgently needs to find new work to support his family.

Now being able to find a shopkeeper position — that truly is thanking heaven, thanking earth, thanking the proprietor.

The little old man stepped forward and saluted: "This humble one is Tian Wen, willing to serve the proprietor with dog-and-horse labor."

"Mm."

Lin Dao nodded: "From now on, the shop's business will trouble you."

He led Tian Wen and Steward Qian to the rear courtyard, introducing Tian Wen to those clerks.

"Steward Qian."

Letting the staff converse freely, Lin Dao turned to look at Qian An: "There's a matter I want to trouble you to handle."

"Master Lin mustn't be so formal."

Qian An saluted repeatedly: "Just call this humble one Qian An."

"Whatever the matter, just give the order."

"You've seen it too." Lin Dao signaled the scene of the courtyard packed full, with even many people still standing outside the courtyard: "So many people have come to my place, there's simply no room to house them."

"Urgently need a residence to accommodate them."

Qian An understood, nodding repeatedly: "Master Lin rest assured, this humble one will go search at once; within a month at most there will be news."

"A month? Too long."

Lin Dao shook his head, he looked around: "Just search for a large mansion nearby, best if we can move in today."

"Today?"

Qian An glanced at the sky; it was already nearing dusk — how could that be possible.

"I'm willing to pay more silver."

Lin Dao simply stated his position: "Silver is not a problem."

Qian An's face was full of difficulty.

Even if there is silver, in such a short time

"This humble one will go help you inquire right away."

"Much obliged."

On this side, Chen Yuanyuan has already arranged manpower to buy grain, buy firewood, buy vegetables.

Dong Xiaowan is leading the maidservants to start the pot and cook.

Lin Dao summoned several craftsman foremen, signaling the five boxes inside the room.

"As agreed before."

"Three days to complete, additional five thousand taels reward."

Looking at the gleaming white silver in the boxes, the several craftsman foremen were overjoyed, kowtowing repeatedly until their foreheads were broken.

To rush the work, they even brought their eight- or nine-year-old children from home to labor.

Almost three days and three nights without much sleep.

This expenditure finally received its repayment; they were truly grateful beyond measure, congratulatory words like the surging river waters, continuous without end.

"Wishing Master Lin abundant sources of wealth~"

"Wishing Ju Bao Lou prosperous business~"

"Wishing Master Lin smooth sailing all the way~"

"Wishing Ju Bao Lou grand expansion~"

"Wishing Master Lin lasting martial fortune~"

Without a doubt, Lin Dao gave a great deal.

But this kind of tycoon-like feeling made him very comfortable.

The feeling of having money — truly refreshing.

Sunset dusk, the sky gradually darkening.

When the rear courtyard opened for the meal, Qian An, face full of joy, came running back in a great hurry.

"Master Lin, great joy~~~"

Lin Dao, just about to eat, smiled and asked: "Someone nearby wants to sell a mansion?"

"Precisely." Qian An said joyfully: "Vice Minister Li on the neighboring street, the Vice Minister Li who resigned as Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites in Jinling a few months ago, plans to take his whole family back to his hometown in Jiangxi."

"This humble one found the Li Mansion's steward; unexpectedly Vice Minister Li learned the news and invited Master Lin to the mansion to attend a banquet."

Local people's mansions are basically all ancestral homes.

Aside from gambling ghosts, almost no one would sell an ancestral home.

And sojourning officials' hometowns are not here; after retirement they basically won't keep a mansion.

According to this era's rules.

Going to someone's mansion to attend a banquet requires presenting a visiting card in advance.

Both sides agree on a date, and only then will they visit on the agreed-upon day.

Such an urgent invitation to attend a banquet — it seems that Vice Minister Li is also impatient to sell the property and realize the cash.

"Wait a moment."

Lin Dao returned inside the house, and after a moment opened the door, carrying two bottles of nine-nine red wine as gifts, and got on the horse cart.

Vice Minister Li's residence really wasn't far, separated by only one street.

Vice Minister Li was named Li Rugeng, a man of Ganzhou Fu, Jiangxi.

After decades of ups and downs in officialdom, he had cultivated a pair of fiery golden eyes.

Since learning the news of the crushing defeat of the imperial court's great army at Songshan, he knew the Great Ming was likely at the end of its luck.

After retiring from office, he hurriedly sold off his family assets, anxious to return to his hometown to settle down, so as to watch the future direction of the wind.

Seeing Lin Dao was very enthusiastic, and regarding the red wine brought as a gift, he was also very satisfied.

In the time of a meal, both sides had agreed on the price.

Vice Minister Li said that the people remaining in his residence would leave tomorrow morning.

His children, grandchildren, and wives had actually already set out one after another to return to their hometowns over these past few months.

Only he brought some people to stay here, waiting to sell the residence.

If they moved away late at night, it would really be going too far.

Early the next morning, the Clerk of Ying Tian Fu waited early.

After receiving Lin Dao's silver, they very swiftly completed the property transfer procedures.

After Lin Dao paid Vice Minister Liao the house purchase money, this place would henceforth be his residence.

Watching the departing backs of the Ying Tian Fu Clerks leaving cheerfully, Lin Dao took a deep look and then withdrew his gaze.

Still that sentence: once Jinling City is taken, all these people will be liquidated.

Ancient local minor clerks — one and all — even if all were beheaded, not one wronged person could be found.

The deeds of these little ghosts, and the harm they caused the common people, were sometimes even more cruel than the ministers in court.

Ministers most of the time still cared about face.

But these minor clerks truly cared nothing for face for the sake of silver.

"This house."

"If this were in the Modern World, it would truly be valuable."

"The area is so large, enough to build a small housing development."

Unfortunately he had no time to tour it.

Today was the opening day of Ju Bao Lou; he had to go there to receive guests.

"You." Lin Dao instructed Chen Yuanyuan and Dong Xiaowan, "Bring the people back and settle them properly."

The two women responded with a happy salute, "Yes, Master~"

The layout within the city was roughly these things.

The focus afterward was the City Exterior.

Buy some Zhuang Yuan land, recruit Refugee manpower, train men and horses to adapt to Equipment.

Once the force is assembled, first take Jinling City!

End of Chapter